I included my TBL purchase.

This collection is under 5K

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I have considerably more equity in my games than I spent, but I've been at this for 20 years so I got stuff when it was cheap.

I've bought, sold, traded, and repaired through the years to buy what I wanted. I've gone on vacations and bought many other things for my family with proceeds from my hobby. I don't look at my meager collection as an investment. I look at a bunch of games that I wanted and found a way to get without harming our budget. When I get ready to sell in my old age, I don't really care what they will be worth. I paid for them in sweat equity and will take what the market decides they are worth when it's time.

Don't sell yourself short. Looks to me like you collection is worth closer to $20k imo. Hope to see a few of those games at Pintastic in 2016

My personal experience says the average pin owner THINKS their collection is worth about 20% more than they could get for each machine.

Interesting to read how much people have spent and how many people have had their collections appreciate. I bought in this year and paid for the most part fair market on the used games and bought wholesale on NIB. I wish my collection would appreciate, but I just don't see it with how much they cost now(except for a few newer titles). I'm afraid I've bought in when prices are at their highest on average and the bubble might pop in the next some years?? I don't think I lose a ton, but I figured I could play for a bit and would lose 10-15% over time and if I come out even that's a big win. I'm very new at this all, so I hope it works out for the best, but I'm prepared for reality.

Someone once told me when everyone starts talking about how strong the market is, its probably due for a correction. Do you think that applies to PInball?

That was my thought thinking average condition.

It's not impossible.

is that including parts? My games are expensive, but over the decades, the amount of money spent on parts to have on hand, reaches the 1000's if not 10k's. Especially if you like to keep full working boardsets of every generation and every manufacturer. Plastic sets, displays. the list goes on and on. I have at least 9k in parts on hand at any given moment.

Great poll Frolic. Not surprised by the results. Guys if you're collecting modern LE's, 14 pins and you're at the 100K mark. Crazy. For 100K you could have 100 vids and more. But nothing beats that little universe under the glass. Nothing. Cargument coming.

1...yes....1...M5 cost $120,000. That car will be worth 60K in 5 years. Drop 120K into pinball and see what you have. Much closer to breaking even.

I'm yet to sell a pin, still in building collection phase. Three NIB's on the the way......so weather in AUD or USD I've spent a lot more than the original " only getting one pin" idea.

I like all my pins so would struggle to sell any, so Don't expect to get anything back (-$50k) not in hobby to make money, Just leave them to the kids in the will.

I find it's easier to convince the wife that having a large gameroom is a good idea when you don't go out of pocket for any of it. I've been funding my game room through a side biz of buying, selling, trading, etc... Not just arcade related stuff, but vintage consoles, Legos, etc...

After 2 years of doing that I have just under 20 working video games (including parts to restore them all) and a HUO LOTR Pin. I track it all in a Paypal account so I'm never pulling from the bank accounts. My wife honestly doesn't care, but it's always nice to take a potential argument starter off the table lol...

Enjoying the good times, but prepared for and willing to deal with the bad times. We could definitely hang out Frolic. Except the 1300 miles part.

I know how much, roughly. I tracked it when I first got into the hobby. Over time, my enjoyment shifted more to the social part of it and playing with my kids. It's been about 5 years of pins and now about six years total of collecting arcades and pins. Also, I'm at a point where I sell to make room and add games, so not as much money in for games. Then, I decided to build the game room. Big expense.

I'll take them!. Where should I overnight the cashiers check?

I don't think appreciation should count. It says "money Spent". That has nothing to do with current value, that is the money spent to aquire said item. Like my Atlantis, cost me $500 by the time I was done restoring and selling off the 2nd game. I've turned down $4500 for it. So for the sake of this thread, if I did tally up my total costs. I would classify atlantis at around $500. Maybe $700 after clearcoat costs.

But it also works the other way. Say you overpaid for a game. Like TF NIB for 6200. It's now worth probably 3900-4200. Well, you paid, 6200,so for the sake of this thread, it stays at 6200, even tho the value is now much lower.

Does the 5000 I spent on predator and the money for the lawyer count?

I honestly have no idea what I've spent in this hobby. Just enjoying it and all the people I've met because of it.

i'd count it. You spent it. Just because you lost it, doesn't mean anything. Chalk it up to a game you lost money on.

I feel your pain brother!

I hope someday Heighway, Spooky or Dutch Pinball can get this license and turn it into a positive experience for us!

Pinball Depreciation < car depreciation
Pinball Mod $ < car mods $
Pinball Fun>car fun !!!!!!!!!!

Anyone of my 3 pins is worth more than my daily driver car. Damn.

$4k. I had $23k in house (5 games) at one point. I think my happy place was $2500 (space shuttle, judge dredd, jokers!).

That's not only cool... that's ultracool! I can't hear the following phrase anymore... "Each time I sell a machine, I make profit - so my wife can't complain"

Hey it's a cool hobby.. it's okay to spend some money - however I'm honest... I don't want to explain to my wife that my "collection" won't be of any worth in xx years... Hopefully pinball never dies - not even slowly .

btw... if you have not seen it before... (or buy the DVD)

unfortunately it would now be hard to return to the good ole days of a 1400 JD, 700 SS, and 400 jokerz;(

When I sold my JD it was $950 and that was with a spare cabinet and playfield. At that point I was already into pinball long enough to think - "What ever happened to the good old days, I can't believe JD it getting up to $1,000."

I've bought right and sold right. Wife said to me as long as it doesn't come out of the household budget. I mowed lawns on the weekends to support my habit and now if I sold everything I could still keep STLE and IMVE and be neutral. What a great hobby. I like a lot here have said just keep track for my own interest. Lost money on games and made money but the fun factor is still the reason I play......and I always just need 1 more.....but then I have to work out what to sell.

$80k in pins but $130k total into my home arcade if I include everything else (video arcade collection, shuffle alleys, basketball hoop machine, etc). Expensive hobby indeed. Good thing it's fun!

Countless hours...id say average 12 to 15 hrs a week since 2001.

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wow, that's a good deal on ballpark franks. What the hell store is that?

It says Kroger. They plump when you cook em!

A good deal on hot-dogs is no good deal..

When my collection exceeded $20K, I started selling the pricy ones and paying off the mortgage. I've realized that I like repairing them more than playing them and paying a 30 year mortgage off in 4-1/2 years feels better to me than the compliments I get over my collection. dumping the CV would put me well into the plus on my hobby spending. I'm lucky though, I have plenty opportunities that play A-listers in my area. From now on, I'll be looking at restoring older/rarer titles for my enjoyment. Oh, I'll probably spring for A Ben Heck's Bilble Adventures if that gets made. Won't have my debt by the time that one comes along.

I could probably sell off my tiny collection and buy the new garage I've been looking to build, but I'd never be able to replace those games since they're so expensive now. Frankly, Stern isn't making anything I like, so even buying new is out.

I could probably build up a decent collection of EMs and early SS games I suppose, but I'd miss AFM and TRON:LE.